I Embraced Air Fryer Steaks, and You Should Too

Cooking a great steak is an art, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be a challenge. It’s a no-brainer to trust a chef with steak when you go out to a restaurant, but even the unsure cook can make good steak casually at home. Personally, I’ve taken casual steaks to new levels in my trusty Instant Vortex air fryer. It took some troubleshooting, but I finally zeroed in on a simple method to air fry steak that saves me time, mess, and makes a near masterpiece every time.

Cooking steak on the grill, in a pan, or in a cast iron skillet are pretty popular and common techniques. Though fast, all of these methods, even reverse searing, still require a lot of attention—and some days I am just plain tired of paying attention. Air frying steak gives you freedom to leave the room and, my favorite part, there’s way less smoke. This is primarily why the Instant Vortex is my go-to air fryer for daily cooking (read my review here) but these other top picks will do the trick as well. 

In addition to being easy to clean, the air fryer cooks steak quickly and can keep the center juicy due to convection heating. Convection ovens, like air fryers, are both powerful and use ambient heat—the steak isn’t right up against the coil, but the fan forces hot winds around the basket. While you absolutely can overcook something in a matter of minutes, you certainly won’t overcook your steak if you use this trick.

The trick to a juicy air fried steak

The key to cooking any steak is to manage its doneness in the center. Since an air fryer can take any piece of meat from undercooked to dry in a matter of minutes, the key is slowing down the cooking a bit in the center so you have time to catch it. If you’ve checked out my steak bites recipe, you know that these little morsels stay juicy because I freeze them first. 

When you’re air frying your steak, bring the temperature down first—especially if it’s a small cut of meat. The smaller or the thinner the piece of steak, the colder it should be. If you have a flat flank steak, freeze it first and add it to the air fryer frozen—seasoned, but frozen. If you have a New York strip steak that’s 5 inches long and 1.5 inches thick, then fridge-cold or borderline frozen (about 15 minutes in the freezer) is great. The steak will warm up and begin browning on the outside while the center is still coming up to temperature. You’re buying yourself time, and keeping the center juicy.

How to air fry a steak

1. Freeze or chill the steak

I like to season my steak when it’s still thawed and then pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes, or up to an hour if I want it solid. Spritz or drizzle a thin layer of cooking oil on the steak. If you didn’t season it beforehand, you can do it now. 

2. Air fry it

Pop your steak in a 400°F air fryer set to the “air fry” setting. The time will vary depending on the size and cut of your steak. Steak bites may take as little as three minutes, and a thick steak might take 20 minutes. For larger steaks, try to aim for flipping it somewhere around the middle of the cooking time.

3. Rest it

Always test the interior temperature with a meat thermometer to assess doneness according to how you like your steak. (Here’s the one I use.) For reference, a medium steak should be 130°F to 135°F when it comes off the heat, as the temperature will continue to rise a bit while it rests. Let it rest for 5 to 15 minutes before digging in. Today, I am making a steak sandwich, so I like a medium to medium-well steak for this purpose.

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Air fried steaks aren’t perfect for everyone

There are definitely some downsides to the air-fried steak compared to the other popular preparations. You won’t get the same gnarly sear like on a pan or a grill grate, and there’s no good way to collect fond (the crispy, tasty bits that stick to a frying pan) and make a pan sauce. But I do appreciate how the edges of any exterior fat become crispy with cracklin-like qualities. You’ll have to ask yourself what your priorities are. If it’s speed, low smoke, and a quick and easy clean-up, then I suggest you try tossing a steak in the air fryer for sure.

Additionally, if you really miss a crusty brown exterior but you don’t have grill, you can still do a quick sear in a frying pan to give you that extra color and flavor. This is my air fryer reverse searing method and it works like a charm—I dare say, better than the original reverse searing method. When I’m finished cooking, the Instant Vortex’s non-stick basket is easy to wash clean. No need to whip out the Barkeeper’s Friend or scrub down a cast iron skillet.